Joint capsule denervation is based on removal of sensitive fibers from the acetabular edge and has been used as one of the techniques to joint pain relief in the canine dysplastic hip. This study compared the techniques of percutaneous and open hip denervation in 25 dogs that showed clinical and radiographic signs of hip dysplasia, totaling 31 surgeries. The effects of the techniques were evaluated and compared in a period of 180 days following surgery, including subjective evaluation of lameness and pain, thigh girth, maximum degree of hip flexion and extension and range of motion (ROM). Degree of lameness and pain significantly decreased during the study period for both groups, and no difference could be observed between groups. Thigh girth, degree of flexion, extension and ROM presented an increase in the numerical values throughout the study. Based on these findings, it is concluded that the percutaneous or open approach for capsular denervation produced similar results.
degenerative joint disease; articular incongruence; lameness; dogs
